Note: these are yearly average values – individual
monthly values typically fluctuate by a few tenths of a percentage point. Sources, Kantar, IGD. Because these are
yearly overall figures, latest-year figures may be subject to revision.

Click here for graph of
changing UK market shares of main supermarkets 1970 to present.

See foot of this page for UK
Grocery market – total size; also online sales and organic
grocery sales.

Aldi

Since the 2007 Credit Crunch began, the hard discounters
Aldi and Lidl have gained considerable market share at the expense of the ‘Big
Four’ (Asda, Morrison, Sainsbury, Tesco); shoppers have become much less
inhibited about buying from a ‘cheap’ store. Aldi and Lidl have also moved
upmarket to meet the middle classes ‘coming down’, and even as financial
pressures for some have eased as the Credit Crunch ends, shoppers have not
migrated back to the Big Four. In 2015 Aldi overtook Waitrose to become the
UK’s 6th biggest grocer.

1994, 0.3%

1995, 0.8%

1996, 0.9%

1997, 0.8%

1998, 0.8%

1999, 1.6%

2000, 1.5%

2001, 1.3%

2002, 1.7%

2005, 2.2%

2006, 2.5%

2007, 2.5%

2008, 2.9%

2009, 2.9%

2010, 3.1%

2011, 3.2%

2012, 3.2%

2013, 3.9%

2014, 4.8%

2015, 5.3%
2016, 6.2%

2017, 6.9%

Asda

Rapid expansion saw
Asda overtake Sainsbury for 2nd place in the UK grocery market in
2003. However their growth has stalled since the Credit Crunch began in 2007,
as the hard discounters Aldi and Lidl have gained ground.

1970 1.5%

1973 2.5%

1976 4.7%

1978 6.3%

1980 8.0%

1982 9.3%

1984, 7.2%

1987 7.2%

1988, 7.9%

1990, 9.4%

1992, 9.4%

1993, 9.5%

1994, 9.9%

1995, 10.7%

1996, 11.8%

1997, 12.5%

1998, 13.0%

1999, 13.2%

2000, 14.1%

2001 14.7%

2002 16.1%

2003, 16.2%

2004, 16.6%

2005, 16.5%

2006, 16.6%

2007, 16.7%

2008, 17.0%

2009, 17.0%

2010, 16.9%

2011, 17.1%

2012, 17.3%

2013, 17.6%

2014, 17.2%

2015, 16.9%

2016, 16.3%

2017, 15.6%

Co-op

1915, 18 - 20%

1939, 14.1%

1965, 35.0%

1980, 9.0%

1987, 7.6%

1989, 7.6%

1990, 8.2%

1991, 8.1%

1992, 7.6%

1993, 6.9%

1994, 6.6%

1995, 6.5%

1996, 6.1%

1997, 5.9%

1998, 4.7%

1999, 6.2%

2000, 5.4%

2001, 5.0%

2003, 5.2%

2004, 5.0%

2007, 4.7%

2008, 8.1% inc S’field

2009, 7.7% inc
S’field

2010, 6.5% inc
S’field

2013, 6.3%

2014, 6.2%

2015, 6.1%

2016, 6.3%

2017, 6.1%

Iceland

A staple low-price High Street store, who have largely
maintained market share since the Credit Crunch. However they have been
overtaken in market share by the hard discounters Aldi and Lidl.

1989, 1.1%

1990, 1.2%

1991, 1.3%

1992, 1.5%

1993, 1.6%

1994, 3.4%

1995, 3.2%

1996, 2.9%

1997, 3.0%

1998, 3.3%

1999, 2.8%

2000, 2.8%

2001, 2.8%

2002, 2.6%

2003, 2.3%

2004, 2.1%

2005, 1.9%

2006, 1.7 %

2007, 1.7%

2008, 1.7%

2009, 1.8%

2010, 1.9 %

2011, 1.9%

2012, 2.0%

2013, 2.0%

2016, 2.2%

2017, 2.2%

Kwik
Save (see ‘Somerfield’ from 1998 on)

1970 0.3%

1973 0.6%

1976 1.4%

1978 4.0%

1984 2.4%

1987 2.7%

1990, 2.7%

1991, 3.2%

1992, 3.8%

1993, 4.1%

1994, 4.0%

1995, 4.2%

1996, 4.1%

1997, 3.6%

1998, 3.4%

1999, 4.7%

2000, 3.5%

2001, 2.6%

Lidl

Since the 2007 Credit Crunch began, the hard discounters
Aldi and Lidl have gained considerable market share at the expense of the ‘Big
Four’ (Asda, Morrison, Sainsbury, Tesco); shoppers have become much less
inhibited about buying from a ‘cheap’ store. Aldi and Lidl have also moved
upmarket to meet the middle classes ‘coming down’, and even as financial
pressures for some have eased as the Credit Crunch ends, shoppers have not
migrated back to the Big Four.

1995, 0.3%

1996, 0.5%

1997, 0.6%

1998, 0.7%

1999, 1.0%

2000, 1.3%

2001, 1.4%

2002, 1.4%

2004, 1.8%

2005, 2.1%

2006, 2.1%

2007, 2.2%

2008, 2.3%

2009, 2.3%

2010, 2.4%

2011, 2.6%

2012, 2.8%

2013, 3.1%

2014, 3.5%

2015, 3.7%

2016, 4.6%

2017, 5.0%

Morrison

Morrison has been undercut by the hard discounters Aldi and
Lidl. It has also suffered from late entry to the online market and also late
entry to the convenience store format. Morrison’sM-Local store sites were bought at high
prices and some are in less-favourable locations.

1987, 0.9%

1989, 1.2%

1990, 1.4%

1991, 1.7%

1992, 1.7%

1993, 1.9%

1994, 3.6%

1995, 4.0%

1996, 4.2%

1997, 4.0%

1998, 4.3%

1999, 4.3 %

2000, 4.9%

2001, 5.4%

2002 5.7%

2003 6.0%

7/2003 14.6% (total)

7/2003
(M’son) 5.7%

7/2003
(S’way) 8.9%

11/2003, 14.8% (total)

11/2003
(M’son) 6.0%

11/2003
(S’way) 8.8%)

7/2004 13.9% (total)

7/2004
(M’son) 6.4%

7/2004
(S’way) 7.5%

11/2004, 13.2% (total)

11/2004
(M’son) 7.4%

11/2004
(S’way) 5.8%

12/2004, 12.4% (total)

12/2004
(M’son) 7.6%

12/2004
(S’way) 4.8%

2005, 11.5%

2006, 11.3%

2007, 11.2%

2008, 11.4%

2009, 11.6%

2010, 12.0%

2011, 12.0%

2012, 11.9%

2013, 11.7%

2014, 11.1%

2015, 11.0%

2016, 10.8%

2017, 10.4%

Netto(1)

Netto’s UK stores were bought by Asda in 2010; Asda, like
the other Big Four and Waitrose, wanted a chain of local stores. Unlike the
other four grocers, Asda chose not to create such a chain by organic expansion
but bought Netto’s UK stores instead.

1994, 0.6%

1999, 0.6%

2000, 0.6%

2001, 0.6%

2002, 0.6%

2003, 0.6%

2004, 0.6%

2005, 0.7%

2006, 0.7%

2007, 0.6%

2008, 0.7%

2009, 0.7%

2010, 0.7%

5/10,
bought by Asda – see Netto(2) below.

Netto(2)

From 2010, when Asda
bought Netto’s UK stores (see Netto(1) above) the Netto brand was not used in Britain. In June
2014 Sainsbury’s announced it is to bring back the Netto fascia with
discount grocery stores in the north of England, in a jointventure with Dansk, Danish owner of
the Netto chain in Europe. In common with the upmarket moves by Aldi and Lidl,
the new Netto stores will offer high-end items such as fresh groceries and
Danish bakery items, along with keenly-priced staple goods.

Safeway
(Argyll Group):-

1982, 3.8%

1984, 5.1%

1987 9.0%

1988, 9.7%

1990, 11.2%

1992, 9.6%

1993, 10.1%

1994, 10.0%

1995, 10.0%

1996, 10.3%

1997, 10.8%

1998, 10.5%

1999, 10.0%

2000, 10.4%

2001 10.5%

2002, 10.5%

July 2002 9.9%

July 2003 9.2%

2004 on, see Morrison

Sainsbury

Sainsbury have done least badly of the Big Four by maintaining
market share in the face of the discounters; along with Waitrose they have
attracted upmarket shoppers looking for a treat. However they have not quite
regained 2nd place from Asda, who overtook them in market share in
around 2003.

1950 1.0%

1970 6.1%

1973 7.0%

1976 7.7%

1978 10.6%

1982 14.5%

1984, 11.6%

1987, 12.3%

1988, 14.5%

198915.8%

1990, 16.3%

1992, 19.5%

1993, 19.6%

1994, 20.0%

1995, 19.1%

1996, 19.7%

1997, 19.6%

1998, 19.0%

1999, 18.2%

2000, 17.9%

2001, 17.8%

2002, 17.1%

2003, 16.2%

2004, 15.7%

2005, 15.9%

2006, 16.2%

2007, 16.3%

2008, 16.2%

2009, 16.3%

2010, 16.6%

2011, 16.3%

2012, 17.0%

2013, 16.9%

2014, 16.4%

2015, 16.3%

2016, 16.5%

2017, 16.1%

Somerfield
(inc. Kwik Save 1998 - 2007).

1986, 7.2%

1990, 5.0%

1991, 4.7%

1992, 4.3%

1993, 4.2%

1994, 5.5%

1995, 6.0%

1996, 5.5%

1997, 5.3%

1998, (total) 7.2%

1998, (K’save) 3.4%

1998 (S’field) 3.8%

1999, (S’field) 4.8%

2000, (S’field) 4.5%

2001 (total) 6.3%

2001 (K’save) 2.5%

2001, (S’field) 3.7%,

2002 (total) 5.7%

2002 (K’save) 2.4%

2002 (S’field) 3.3%

2003, (total) 6.2%

2003, (K’save) 2.5%

2003 (S’field) 3.7%

2004, 5.7% (total)

2004 (K’save) 2.2%

2004 (S’field) 3.5%

2005, (total) 5.8%

2005 (K’save) 1.6%

2005 (S’field) 4.2%)

2006 (total) 4.5%

2006 (K’save) 1.2%

2006 (S’field) 3.3%

2007 (total) 3.8%

2007 (K’save) 0.2%

2007 (S’field) 3.6%

2008, 3.8%

2008, Somerfield was bought by the Co-op

2012, The Kwik Save brand was relaunched as
a small convenience-store format by Costcutter

Tesco

Tesco, who at one time held nearly one third of the UK
grocery market, have lost ground to the discounters at one end of the market
and to Sainsbury and especially to Waitrose at the other end.

1971, 7.2%

1974, 8.6%

1977, 8.3%

1978, 12.4%

1982, 14.3%

1984, 11.9%

1986, 13.4%

1987 12.0%

1988, 14.8%

1990, 15.7%

1992, 17.2%

1993, 18.0%

1994, 18.3%

1995, 20.8%

1996, 21.5%

1997, 22.6%

1998, 23.0%

1999 23.7%

2000, 25.0%

2001 25.2%

2002, 25.9%

2003, 27.0%

2004, 28.0%

2005, 30.4%

2006, 31.1%

2007, 31.3%

2008, 31.1%

2009, 30.7%

2010, 30.6%

2011, 30.4%

2012, 30.6%

2013, 29.9%

2014, 29.1%

2015, 28.4%

2016, 28.3%

2017, 27.5%

Waitrose

Waitrose gained market share in 2004 after buying 19 former
Safeway stores from Morrison; Morrison had to sell these after it took over
Safeway, to avoid local monopoly situations.These acquired stores allowed Waitrose to expand beyond its core
territory of south-east England. In 2013 Waitrose started providing free coffee
to My Waitrose card holders, along with free newspapers for buying just £5
worth of shopping; much to the annoyance of other coffee shops, these
initiatives, along with the cheaper ‘Essentials’ range, have helped Waitrose to
greatly increase its market share even
during the Credit Crunch. However Waitrose’s growth has slowed from 2014 and in
2015 it was beaten into 7th place in UK market share, overtaken by
Aldi.

Between 1972 and 2009 the population of the UK rose from 55.5
million to 61.0 million, a rise of 11.0%.This is a small increase by global standards (see Population Growth Map).Per capita real spending on food has
therefore risen by 83.8% over this period, a modest annual rise of 1.6%.However much ‘added value’ has been
transferred to the food we buy, as we purchase more ready meals now than in 1972,
effectively outsourcing the cooking from households to food manufacturers.The UK grocery market is highly competitive,
with little growth and extra sales only to be gained from poaching other’s
customers.This has been a major incentive
for the large UK supermarkets to diversify into non-food sales.